CONWAY, S.C. – The Sun Belt Conference East Division Champions in Coastal Carolina (9-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) will take on the West Division Champions in Troy (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) in the 2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ala. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
 
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN and carried on the radio at WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM.
 
  • With the Chanticleers' 26-23 win over Southern Miss (Nov. 12), Coastal won the Sun Belt Conference East Division title.
 
• With the win, the Chants clinched a spot in the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 3.
 
• James Madison is not eligible for the regular season championship or a bowl game per NCAA rules in their first year of transition from FCS to FBS.
 
• The East Division Championship is the second for the Chanticleers in the last three years (2020 and 2022).
 
  • Coastal Carolina is celebrating the football program's 20th season this year, having kicked off the inaugural season in 2003.
 
• In 1999, football was approved to be added to Coastal in 2003.
 
• Almost 8,000 fans packed Brooks Stadium on Sept. 6, 2003, for the inaugural game of the Coastal NCAA I-AA football squad, as CCU used a 97-yard drive to score with seven seconds to play to defeat Newberry 21-14.
 
  • For the third straight year, the Coastal Carolina football program was ranked in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Top 25 polls, as the Chanticleers came in at No. 23 in both national polls in week 12 and 13 of this season.
 
• The two top-25 national rankings on Nov. 13 were the first for the Chants this season and marked the first time that CCU was ranked nationally in both polls since Nov. 7, 2021, when the Chants were No. 21 in the Coaches poll and No. 22 in the AP poll.
 
• Coastal was ranked in both top 25 polls for 11-straight weeks in 2020 and 11-straight weeks in 2021.
 
• The Chants were one of just two Sun Belt Conference teams to earn a spot in the top 25 polls, as James Madison was ranked No. 25 in the AP Top 25 poll in week 6 (Oct. 9).
 
  • Coastal Carolina, who received votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches polls this season, had climbed into the top 25 in each of the last two weeks, Nov. 13 and 20, before suffering a 47-7 loss at James Madison (Nov. 26) last time out.
 
  • Having won 11 games in each of the last two seasons, CCU was one of just six teams in all of FBS to post back-to-back double-digit win seasons in the last two years (2020 and 2021).
 
• With a win in the Sun Belt Championship game (Dec. 3), the Chants will become one of the few teams to notch three-straight double-digit win seasons over the last three years.
 
Teams Trying for 10-plus Wins Again in 2022

TEAM	2020	2021	2022
Alabama	13-0	13-2	10-2
Clemson	10-2	10-3	10-2
Coastal Carolina	11-1	11-2	9-2
Notre Dame	10-2	11-2	8-4
BYU	11-1	10-3	7-5
Louisiana	10-1	13-1	6-6

  • With their 9-2 slate this season, the Chants are 31-5 since the start of the 2020 season.
 
• The 31-5 record since the start of the 2020 season is tied for the third-best record in all of FBS football with Cincinnati and behind only Alabama and the defending 2021 National Champions in the Georgia Bulldogs.
 
Best Record Since 2020

TEAM	OVERALL
Alabama	36-4
Georgia	34-3
Coastal Carolina	31-5
Cincinnati	31-5
Clemson	30-7
Notre Dame	29-8
Louisiana	29-8
BYU	28-9
Oklahoma State	27-10
Oklahoma	26-10

*since the start of the 2020 season
 
  • The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers were the LAST Group of 5 program with just one loss on the season and are one of three Sun Belt programs to have just two losses on the year.
 
Fewest Losses in Group of 5

TEAM	OVERALL
#18 Tulane  (AAC)	10-2
#23/24 UTSA  (C-USA)	10-2
Troy  (SBC)	10-2
South Alabama  (SBC)	10-2
Coastal Carolina  (SBC)	9-2
Air Force  (MWC)	9-3
Boise State  (MVC)	9-3
Cincinnati  (AAC)	9-3
Ohio  (MAC)	9-3
#22/23 UCF  (AAC)	9-3
James Madison  (SBC)	8-3

  • Coastal will once again be on national television with the 2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship game set to air on ESPN on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
 
• The contest will mark the Chants' seventh game this season that will be broadcasted nationally.
 
Nationally Televised Games in 2022

DATE	OPPONENT	NETWORK
09/22/22	at Georgia State	ESPNU
10/15/22	Old Dominion	ESPNU
10/29/22	at Marshall	NFL Network
11/03/22	Appalachian State	ESPN
11/12/22	Southern Miss	ESPNU
11/26/22	at James Madison	ESPNU
12/03/22	at Troy *	ESPN

*Sun Belt Championship game
 
  • With the win at ULM (Oct. 8), the Chanticleers became bowl eligible for the third-consecutive season.
 
Chants Bowl History

YEAR	BOWL
2020	FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
2021	Tailgreeter Cure Bowl
2022	?

  • Over the last three seasons, the Chanticleers have been road warriors in Sun Belt Conference play, going 10-2 since the start of the 2020 season.
 
Conference Road Games Since 2020

DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
10/14/20	at #21 Louisiana	W, 30-27
10/31/20	at Georgia State	W, 51-0
11/28/20	at Texas State	W, 49-14
12/12/20	at Troy	W, 42-38
10/07/21	at Arkansas State	W, 52-20
10/20/21	at Appalachian State	L, 27-30
11/06/21	at Georgia Southern	W, 28-8
11/26/21	at South Alabama	W, 27-21*
09/22/22	at Georgia State	W, 41-24
10/08/22	at ULM	W, 28-21
10/29/22	at Marshall	W, 24-13
11/26/22	at James Madison	L, 7-47

* overtime game
 
  • Since the start of the 2020 season, the Chanticleers are undefeated at 10-0 versus Sun Belt Conference West Division foes.
 
Chants Versus the West Division Since 2020

DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
10/03/20	Arkansas State	W, 52-23
10/14/20	at #21 Louisiana	W, 30-27
11/07/20	South Alabama	W, 23-6
11/28/20	at Texas State	W, 49-14
10/02/21	ULM	W, 59-6
10/07/21	at Arkansas State	W, 52-20
10/20/21	Texas State	W, 35-21
11/26/21	at South Alabama	W, 27-21 (OT)
10/08/22	at ULM	W, 28-21
11/12/22	Southern Miss	W, 26-23

* Troy did not move to the West Division until 2022.
 
• Troy, the 2022 West Division Champion, moved back to the West Division this year with the addition of the four new members.
 
  • Under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, the Troy Trojans have been the surprise of the Sun Belt Conference this season, going 10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
 
• Picked to finish third in the West Division in the coaches preseason poll, the Trojans have won nine consecutive games and are a hail-mary away from a perfect 8-0 conference record.
 
• It will be Troy's first-ever appearance in the title game, and the Trojans are eying their league-leading seventh Sun Belt Conference title.
 
• The Trojans' offense ranks in the middle of the pack in the Sun Belt, as they are eighth in total offense (372.2 ypg) and ninth in scoring (24.6 ppg). They are also ninth in the league in rushing offense (124.8 ypg) but are in the top half of the league in passing offense in fifth (247.4 ypg).
 
• Leading the way for the offense is veteran quarterback Gunnar Watson, as he is completed 61.4 percent of his passes (181-of-295) for 2,387 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
 
• Behind Watson is fellow veteran Kimani Vidal who is one of four running backs in the Sun Belt to have rushed for over 1,000 yards this year. The all-conference performer has carried the ball 189 times for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns.
 
• The passing game has been spread out all season long, as five different Trojans have over 20 receptions and over 200 receiving yards for the year, led by Tez Johnson's team-high 49 catches for 764 yards and four touchdowns.
 
• The belief that defense wins championships is what Troy is banking on this week, as the Trojans' defense has been their calling card all year long.
 
• Troy's defense ranks first in the Sun Belt and 26th nationally in the fewest passing yards allowed per game this season at 198.2. The Trojans also rank second in the SBC and eighth nationally in scoring defense (16.8 ppg), fourth in the SBC and 16th in all of FBS in total defense (316.4 ypg), and fifth in the league and 22nd nationally in rushing defense (118.2 ypg).
 
• The defense is once again led by linebacker Carlton Martial, who is second in the SBC and all of FBS with 11.2 tackles per game and 112 total tackles on the year.
 
  • Coastal Carolina and Troy will be meeting for the sixth time on Saturday, Dec. 3, having played each other as divisional foes in each of the last five seasons.
 
• The two teams have met as Sun Belt Conference foes in each of the last five years with Troy winning the first two matchups and Coastal having won each of the last three meetings between the two schools.
 
Series with Troy

DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
11/11/17	Troy	L, 17-42
09/29/18	at Troy	L, 21-45
11/02/19	Troy	W, 36-35
12/12/20	at Troy	W, 42-38
10/28/21	Troy	W, 35-28

  • Coastal Carolina and Troy have a tendency to provide some drama on the field when the two teams meet, as each of the last three meetings has been decided by one score or less.
 
• CCU scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game to win 36-35 in 2019.
 
• The Chants wrapped up a perfect 11-0 season with a 42-38 road win at Troy in 2020, as CCU's game-winning score was a 23-yard pass from Grayson McCall to Jaivon Heiligh with just 35 seconds remaining in the game.
 
• In last year's meeting, the Trojans scored with 4:52 left in the fourth quarter to cut the Chants' lead to 35-28. After forcing CCU to punt the back to them with 25 seconds remaining, Coastal's Josaiah Stewart picked up a strip sack on the first-and-10 play which was recovered by Jeffrey Gunter to secure the seven-point win for the Chants.


For complete coverage of CCU football, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalFootball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @goccusports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.